Tubing

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scoutharps

Member
Joined
Mar 23, 2008
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144
Location
Lascassas, TN, USA.
:)How hard is it to cut the brass tubing? For example, making 2 5 inch lengths out of one 10 inch piece. Can this be done without fancy tools? I'm thinking hacksaw on 10mm, but cant screw up the ends.

Thanks!
 
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I've had good luck with an X-Acto saw with a fine cut blade, and miter box. After the cut is made I put the tube in my lathe chuck, and square the ends (NOTE: use only enough pressure to hold the tube firmly). The last step is to use a chamfer tool to remove the burrs on the i.d. of the tube ends.
 
Nearly ANY saw will work.

Remember to insert "flaring tool" to restore to round.

IF you have burrs, touch the brass to your grinding wheel (that you use to sharpen your tools), then "flare" again to return to round. OR, use a simple file to take off the burrs. When you "face" the blank, be a little more aggressive and "square off" the end, then use your flaring tool to open the hole again.

NOT hard, but takes a while to describe.
 
Harbor Freight sells a small chop saw that I use to cut tubes with , it makes a nice clean cut .
It's priced at $25.99 but I got mine on sale for $19.99 heres the link
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=42307
It leaves almost no burr so a quick pass with a hobby knife is all thats needed to clean the cut up.
Oh by the way you should make some vice jaw inserts to hold the tubes without pinching them , it's a simple matter of taking a drilled blank for the tube you are cutting and sawing in half length wise the saw kerf will remove enough wood for clearence when tightening the tubes in the vise
 
I use a small tubing cutter that is available at any hobby shop and most good hardware stores. They're just like a pipe cutter, just smaller. It has rollers on one side and a hardened steel cutter on the other side. You just tighten it up lightly on the tube and then twirl it around the tube. As it cuts, you tighten up the screw on the cutter and twirl again. After a few twirls, the tubing is cut cleanly. Touch up the ends with a countersink and you're ready to go. Here is a link to the one I use:
http://www.hobbylinc.com/htm/k+s/k+s296.htm
 
I also find the xacto saw with a miter box to be very easy, but I also use a small v block to eliminate any bending of the tube. I cut tubing extra long to eliminate the center band and have never had any assembly problems. I cut the tubing before roughing for gluing so when I sand the outside that removes any outside burrs, and I camfer the inside after gluing and trimming. Works nicely.
Cindy
 
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